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Romanowski is just taking up much more space in his fourth Super Bowl. He's not just a member of a defensive unit, he's also an icon, a force, a made-for-television celebrity. He is Romo-cop, the living representation of the guy you don't want to mess with on the football field.

There are lots of reasons for that. He has become a ferocious hitter, he is a veteran leader of the Broncos' defensive team, and he owns a highlight reel of big plays, including a key interception in last year's Super Bowl win.

But even he has to admit that at least part of it is the famous "situation," as he refers to it today. That would be the Monday Night game against the 49ers when a heated discussion ended with Romanowski spitting in the face of wide receiver J. J. Stokes.

Romanowski apologized, of course. He's still apologizing now. You probably could call him up tonight in his hotel room, and he'd apologize before he was completely awake. But you have to admit that the replay of that moment is what made him a national name, someone that the people in Dallas and Kansas City knew immediately.

"It will probably come up for the rest of my career," Romanowski said. "And it is not something that you should ever commit on the field, but it does seem that ever since then, people know who I am."

As vilified as he was by the incident, Romanowski gradually began to realize that it was not the worst thing that ever happened to him. It began with the knowing winks and slaps on the back.

"Sometimes the old guys would come through the locker room in Denver," he said. "And they would say, 'Bill, don't you ever change. I love the way you play.' "

Hockey star Claude Lemieux gave an interview defending Romanowski, and the two met and became good friends. Romanowski suddenly turned into a breakout interview subject when the big networks came to town. He was on the out-of-town media's list to hit up for quotes.

"In the first two Super Bowls," Romanowski said yesterday, his interview table surrounded by reporters and cameras, "the press wanted to talk to one of the big guys. Now I'm one of the guys they want to talk to."

Romanowski is more than just a creation of good PR. There was never any question about his football mentality. Last year he missed the first preseason game, which is only significant for one reason.

"That's the only game I have ever missed," he said. "Every single game of my life, except one. And I could have played that one."

When he was with the 49ers, it was difficult to get him to change gears or back down. He was such a favorite of then-coach George Seifert that there were grumblings that he was "George's boy," but even Seifert grew exasperated with Romanowski's inability to see the difference between a half-speed drill at training camp and a real game.

"In training camp every year -- and it wasn't a planned thing -- it seemed like I would put a hit on Jerry Rice and a fight would break out," Romanowski said. "One time the whole offensive line attacked me. I guess that was just one person you didn't hit."

What are you going to do? Live with one shot at Rice a year and get great play the rest of the time, or decide you can live without him? The 49ers let Romanowski go, he stopped in Philadelphia, and then he became a star in Denver. Is it being in the right place at the right time, or improvement?

"I am," he said, "a much better player now. I am stronger, I am faster, and I have more experience."

The experience part comes with playing, but Romanowski remade himself physically. He went on a radical workout plan, lifting weights and doing aerobic exercises in the pool for hours. He also went on a strict plan of supplements, taking creatine and something called HMB to build himself up.

Although he said his weight has not varied more than a few pounds since he entered the league, the distribution is dramatic. His biceps alone probably weigh as much as his 4-year-old son.

Romanowski makes no apologizes for creatine, which has been a controversial supplement in sports.

"It is the same thing that is in meat," he said. "Would there be any problem if I ate three steaks a day?"

No, sir. Those who have watched Romanowski's act on the field are not likely to disagree. His hits have become highlight footage. He swears every hit thrills him. He enjoys them all.

Even, he was asked, the one in the AFC Championship game, when he clocked Jets running back Curtis Martin so hard that both players were knocked off their feet, and both had to leave the field? Romanowski suffered a mild concussion, but he came back in to play the rest of the game.